APGA: Alleged Forgery of Supreme Court’s Judgment, Police Open Case against Njoku

The Nigeria Police yesterday, opened its forgery allegation suit against a factional National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Edozie Njoku and one Chukwuemeka Nwoga at a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting in Bwari, Abuja.

The Police had last year arraigned the two defendants on charges bordering on alleged forgery of a Supreme Court judgment delivered by Justice Mary Peter-Odili now retired, as well as her letterhead papers.

But Njoku and Nwoga had denied the allegations, stating that the alleged forged documents formed part of an accidental slip corrected by the apex court itself, adding that Justice Peter-Odili has also written to the police to that effect.

The apex court had on March 24, 2023, upon an application by Chief Edozie Njoku, regularised and amended the judgment of Justice Mary Peter Odili (rtd), delivered on May 9, 2022.

The five-member panel of justices led by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, had in the judgment ordered the deletion of the name of Chief Victor Oye, from the said judgment and that it be replaced with that of Njoku.

However, at the resumed trial yesterday, the Police called its first Prosecution Witness (PW1), one Mr. Godwin Odu, who introduced himself as a Deputy National Secretary of APGA.

Before leading the witness in evidence, the prosecution lawyer, Mr. Ezekiel Rinasonte applied to withdraw the Police amended charge of February 6, adding that the prosecution would prefer to fall back on the initial charge of October last year.

Specifically, the amended charge has as 3rd defendant one Mrs Ogunseye Adebisi, said to be a Secretary to Justice Peter-Odili, who retired from the bench of the Supreme Court, last year.

Njoku and Nwoga were ab initio arraigned on a 14-count marked CR/12/2022 and dated October 21, 2022, over allegation of conspiring with others to forge judgment of the Supreme Court. However, after further investigation, the police filed a fresh 14-count amended charge dated February 6, 2023, which now included Justice Mary Peter Odili’s Secretary, Mrs. Ogunseye Adebisi as the 3rd defendant.

However, the two defendants’ lawyer, Mr. Panam Ntui, did not object to the withdrawal of the amended charge.

Led in evidence, the witness narrated how he emerged as the party’s Deputy National Secretary at a convention held in Awka on May 31, 2019.

“My Lord, after our convention, I emerged Deputy National Secretary and Victor Oye emerged after the 2019 convention as National Chairman.”

According to Odu, it was after the Awka convention on May 31, that Njoku, began to parade himself as new National Chairman of APGA.

The witness said the issue became subject of several litigations, which eventually got up to the Supreme Court, adding that their curiosity as to how Njoku got the judgment, “he was using to parade himself as National Chairman,” led them to engage the police to investigate the matter.

He said after the investigation, “We found out that the judgment he was using to parade himself as National Chairman was forged,” consequent upon which he wrote the petition against the defendants.

After a brief cross examination by Ntiu, counsel to the defendants, the witness was discharged from the witness box and the prosecution lawyer pleaded for a short adjournment to call more witnesses to prove its allegation.

In the absence of any objection to the request for adjournment the trial judge, Justice Mohammed Madugu fixed April 27, 2023, for continuation of trial.

Speaking with journalists shortly after the court session, Rinasonte, explained that the withdrawal of the amended charge was to enable them proceed with the trial since they couldn’t serve the charge on Adebisi.

Besides, he disclosed that some of the staff of the litigation department of the Supreme Court and Mrs Adebisi will be called as prosecution witnesses.

But Njoku claimed that the police have found out the truth, and are looking for a way out of the suit.

“How can you say you are prosecuting someone over an allegation, which the Supreme Court has termed a “slip” and has subsequently corrected.

“I am not afraid of anybody; I am poised to pursue this case to a logical conclusion.

“Of course, the Supreme Court has addressed what they alleged to be forgery and I don’t know what else the police is looking for,” he said.